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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Recurso digital |
| Language: | |
| Published: |
Zenodo
2026
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18941003 |
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Table of Contents:
- <p>The global energy transition is driving growing interest in green hydrogen as a carbon-neutral energy carrier, with Africa emerging as a potential key supplier due to its abundant renewable energy resources. <br>This study presents a comparative, system-integrated assessment of hydrogen production costs across thirteen African countries for the years 2035 and 2050 using a harmonised open-source modelling approach.<br>Based on an extended PyPSA-Earth model, marginal hydrogen production costs are evaluated at export nodes under multiple export volume scenarios derived from estimates of Africa’s market-based hydrogen export potential. <br>The results reveal pronounced regional differences in hydrogen export competitiveness. North African countries achieve the lowest marginal production costs, reflecting favourable combinations of renewable resource availability, infrastructure conditions, and proximity between generation sites and export hubs. Across all countries, marginal hydrogen costs increase with rising export volumes as the most favourable renewable sites are exhausted and additional system integration requirements emerge. By focusing on marginal rather than average hydrogen production costs, the analysis provides new insights into the scalability of hydrogen exports and the dynamics of a gradual market ramp-up. The results highlight that favourable hydrogen production costs depend not only on renewable resource endowments, but also on geographical conditions, water availability for electrolysis, and infrastructure requirements such as electricity grids and hydrogen storage. <br>Overall, the study demonstrates the importance of system-integrated modelling for assessing hydrogen export competitiveness and provides a transparent, comparable basis for evaluating Africa’s potential role in future global hydrogen and Power-to-X markets.</p>